Bearing and method of making it



Patented Get. 9, 1928.

JOSEPH BRINCIL, F READING, PENNSYLVANIA.

I BEARING AND METHOD OF MAKING I1.

.111 e Drawing.

This invention relates to bearings and their manufacture, particularly to bearings of the self-lubricating type. There is at present on the market, and sold under various trade names, a self-lubricating bearing material in the form of spongy bronze having approximately 40 percent by volume of graphite mechanically mixed with it and uniformly distributed throughout its mass.

This material is capable of absorbing about per cent by volume of oil and on the whole formsa very satisfactory bearing. It is, however, expensive to manufacture and diflicult to work. The process of making it comprises 115 mixing powdered bronze, powdered graphite and a binder and compressing the whole underhydraulicpressure. Theresultingproduct cannot readily be machined and is therefore commonly ground or molded to shape.

m For this reason it can be made into flanged or split bushings only with difiiculty and with cat waste of material, so that its use is practically limited to very simple shapes. It is, moreover, weak and easily deformed.

u It is the object of the present invention to provide an inexpensive method of making a bearing havin substantially the advanta es of this costly ron'ze spon e without its isadvantages. I do this b of bearin metal a sur acing similar to the spongy ronze-graphite described above, which strip can then be readily fashioned into bearin s of any desired shape, thus making availa le the excellent lubricating qualities of the bronze sponge at relatively little exnse. I form this spongy or fporous surfacmg on the bearing metal by st subjecting a stri of that metal to the abrading action of a last of granular abrasive, coating the abraded surface with a binder and then applying a composition comprising graphite and a binder and preferably including a p owdered metal, such as bronze. After drying, the whole is compressed to force the graphite into the interstices of the abraded surface and thus incorporate it with the base metal. The resultant product is a metal strip having an absorbent lubricating face capable of absorbing a small quantity of oil and closely resembling bronze sponge in its bearing properties.

As one specific method of carrying out my about 10 feet per minute.

orming on a strip Application filed September 21, 1926. Serial No. 186,894.

invention I proceed as follows A roll of metal strip, preferably bronze, about 12 inches wide and 40 or feet long, is unwound from one roll and onto a second receiving roll, passing horizontally through a housing in which its upper face is abraded by means of a blast of granular abrasive directed against t by an operator standing outside the houslng. Abrading equipment of this nature is old and of itself forms no part of the present invention so that I have not illustrated it. Any standard abrasivecan be used, such as natural or artificial minerals or metal abrasives, such as chilled iron. For the purpose of the present invention, I much prefer the latter because the use of mineral abrasives necessitates the careful cleaning of the treated strip to remove all traces of mineral particles which would be detrimental in a hearing surface. The air ressure used amounts to from to 90 poun s per square inch and the strip is moved through the housing at This treatment produces on the strip a rough granular surface extending for a depth of about .01 to .015 inch, the physical character of which is unique and is excellently adapted to hold a layer of applied lubricant.

The abraded strip of bearing metal is then cut into units of tie desired size which are coated with a thin coating of shellac, or other suitable binder, and upon this is applied a layer of finely divided gra bite and a binder. For best results, I pre er to incorporate granular bronze with the graphite in the proportion of about 6 parts of bronze to 4; parts of graphite. The surfaced metal is dried and then subjected to pressure. This may be done by a separate pressing operation, or the pressure may be applied when the ultimate shapes are drawn from the treated metal in accordance with the process described and claimed in my Patent No. 1,583,913. The surfaced material either before or after the final shaping is preferably immersed in hot oil of which an appreciable uantity is absorbed. This improves the. lu ricating properties of the bearing without interfering with the action of the graphite.

The product of this process has a surface layer which is quite similar in its lubricating properties to the bronze sponge described above. The strip can, however, be readily shaped to form bearings of any desired configuration and either wound into cylindrical shape to form split bushings, or drawn to .shape to form non-split, unitary bushings.

Bushings having flanges can also be readily made. lit is thus possible to make bearings having all of the advantages of bearings made of bronze sponge but with none of their disadvantages, and much less expensively.

I am aware of Patent No. 1,129,304 granted on the invention of Harry G. Loudenbeck in.

method. With an etched surface, it would be impossible to produce the porous, adherent, lubricating surface of my bearing metal.

I claim: 1

1. The method of making a self-lubricating hearing which comprises abrading the surface of a strip of bearing metal, a plying a coating of a binderthereon, app ying a lubricating composition comprising a mixture of graphite and powdered bronze to the coated face of the metal, permitting the whole to dry and subjecting it to pressure to unite the, graphite and bronze with the abraded surface. Y

2. The method of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a strip of bearing metal, applying a coating of a binder thereon, applying a lubricating composition comprising a mixture of graphite and powdered bronze to the coated face of the metal, permitting the whole to dry, subjectin it to pressure to unite the graphite and ronze with the abraded stir-1 face and impregnating the applied surfacing with oil.

3. The method of making a self-lubricating hearing which comprises abrading the surface of a strip of bearing metal by directing a blast of granular abrasive against it, applying a coating of a binder to the abraded sur' face, then applying thereto a lubricating composition comprising a mixture of graphite and powdered bronze, permitting the applied surface to dry and then subjecting it to pressure to unite the graphite and bronze with the abraded surface,

4:. The method of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a strip of bearing metal'by directing a blast of granular abrasive against it, applying a coating of a binder to the abraded.

' surface, then applying thereto a lubricating composition comprising a mixture of graphite and powdered bronze, permitting the applied surface to dry and impregnating the surfaced product with ail,

ineaeei 5. The method of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a strip of bearing metal by directing a blast of granular abrasive against it, applying a coating of a binder to the abraded surface, then applying thereto a lubricating composition comprising a mixture of graphite and powdered bronze, permitting the applied surface to dry, and drawing the metal into cylindrical form.

6. The method of making a self-lubricating hearing which comprises abrading the sur face of a base metal, applying thereto graphite, a powdered bearing metal and a binder, and uniting the graphite and powdered metal to the abraded base by means of pressure.

7. The method of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a base metal, applying thereto graphite, a powdered bearing metal and a binder, uniting the graphite and powdered metal to the abraded base by means of pressure, and impregnating the surface with oil.

8. The method of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a strip of base metal, applying thereto graphite, a powdered bearing metal and a binder, uniting the graphite and powdered metal to the abraded base by means of pressure, and shaping the strip into cylindrical form." I

9. Themethod of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a base metal, applying a coating of a binder thereon, applying a lubricating composition comprising a mixture of graphiteand powdered bronze to the coated face ofthemetal and subjecting it to pressure to unite the graphite and bronze with the abraded surface.

10. The method of making a self-lubricating bearing which comprises abrading the surface of a base metal, applying thereto a powdered bearing metal and a binder, and uniting the powdered metal to the abraded base by means of pressure.

11. A self-lubricating bearing composition comprising a metal base having an abraded surface and a layer of graphite and powdered bearing metal in the cold state united to said abraded'surface and capable of absorbing a lubricating oil.

' 12. A self-lubricating bearing composition comprising a metal base having an abraded surface and'a spongy layer of graphite and powdered bearing metal in the cold state united to said abraded surface, and impreg nated with a lubricating oil.

13. A self-lubricating bearing in cylindrical form comprising a metal base having an its and powdered bearing metalin the cold state unit-ed to said abraded surface.

lltl

14-. A self-lubricating bearing in cylindrical form comprising a metal base having an abraded face and spongy bearing surface meeegeei 3 united to said abradedi face comprising pow- 16., A self-lubricating bearing comprising dei'ed bearing metal in the cold state. a base of bronze having an abrodmi surface,

15. A. self-lubricating bearing comprising and a spongy layer of graphite and; powdered 10 a metal base having an abraded surface and bronze in the cold. state umted to said abradeci a layer of graphite and powdered bronze in suriace. V the cold state united to said abraded surface, In testimony whereof I aflix my'signature. and capable of absorbing oil. JOSEPH BRINCIL. 

